French air pollution restrictions: how and where bans on older cars will work

Stricter rules on high-emission vehicles are set to come into force in two French cities in January, meaning more vehicles will be banned from driving in them.

Changes are related to French low-emission zones (Zones à faibles émissions, ZFEs), which see vehicles passing through them required to display a sticker (called a Crit’Air vignette) showing their emissions level. 

Tougher restrictions on vehicles of a Crit’Air 3 level – petrol cars first registered before January 2006 and diesel cars first registered before January 2010 – were planned for multiple cities, set to begin from January 1, 2025. 

Improvements in air quality however mean that the ban will now only affect Paris and Lyon.

Recap: What and where are ZFE zones? 

These ZFE zones were first introduced in 2019 as the government looked to lower vehicle emissions.

Currently, there are 12 ZFEs in France (13 if you count Paris and its suburbs as two separate areas). 

Anyone driving through a ZFE, either with a French or foreign registered vehicle, needs to display a Crit’Air sticker (this includes electric vehicles and motorbikes), which can be purchased online through the official website.

The Crit’Air stickers use a sliding scale, with level 5 being the oldest and most polluting vehicles, and 0 being completely electric vehicles. 

If a vehicle’s pollution level is too high, it may be banned from driving through a ZFE altogether.

However, classic cars are exempt – you can read about the rules here.

However, each individual ZFE has its own restrictions on which vehicles can and cannot pass through, based on both air quality and local authority rulings. 

Read more: 2024 MAP: Where are France’s clean air driving zones? What are rules?

In theory, all metropolitan areas with a population of over 150,000 are due to set up ZFEs no later than January 2025.

These new zones would initially see only the most polluting vehicles banned, with rules gradually becoming stricter to catch up with already established ZFEs.

However, around 30 of these areas are yet to establish a ZFE, and with three months until the supposed deadline, it seems unlikely all will do so.

A mixture of local opposition, complaints over high cost of living (with many people unable to afford low-polluting vehicles fit to enter ZFEs), and the cost to local authorities to implement the zones are among the reasons many cities are unwilling to toe the line. 

What changes in 2025? 

The map in the article linked above shows the current rules for 2024, with only one city – Strasbourg – currently limiting Crit’Air level 3 vehicles from circulating. 

However, even here there is an ‘educational period’ for drivers, who are currently being reminded of the rules as opposed to receiving a fine if they drive a highly-polluting vehicle through the city. 

Previously, five cities with ZFEs already in place were supposed to ban Crit’Air level 3 vehicles from January 2025 (or begin an educational period reminding drivers of the rule change, in place for a maximum of 12 months). 

These cities were Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Strasbourg, and Rouen. 

An announcement in March 2024 that air quality levels were better than expected in Strasbourg, Rouen, and Marseille meant they were no longer required to bring in the ban until January 2027. 

They could still choose to enact the restrictions if they wished, but authorities in Marseille and Rouen immediately ruled out such a change, and said they would not toughen restrictions. 

Earlier this month, Strasbourg announced it would also push the ban on Crit’Air 3 vehicles back to 2027, in line with the other cities with good air quality. 

Air quality in Lyon and Paris however is above the regulatory threshold set by Santé Publique France, of 40 micrograms/m3 of nitrogen dioxide in the city’s air. 

This means they will be required to bring in the ban in January 2025. 

In these cities, Crit’Air 3 vehicles will be banned from driving within the ZFE between 08:00 and 20:00 on weekdays (but still able to drive through them during the weekends). 

However, in the greater Paris area, cars at a Crit'Air level 3 will be able to apply for an exemption to the rules for a maximum of 12 days a year using a 'ZFE Pass'.

One in four privately-owned vehicles in the greater Paris area has a Crit’Air level of 3 or higher, according to a recent study by the Atelier parisien d'urbanisme.

Read more: Do drivers need a different ‘Crit’Air’ sticker for each French city?